Infestation
by CII
Summary: Elite Sangehili Shipmaster Cujo 'Mentatalee, a mercenary, a female Spartan soldier, and a few ODSTs are sent to the Chicago Containment Center to retrieve an artifact lost since the late 21st Century. It's Starship Troopers meets Halo!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Alan Tyler belongs to Alexander M. I'm just borrowing him for a moment. I do not own Halo, just my own opinion about it.

**Prologue**

**1045 Hours, October 23rd, 2552 (Military Calendar)\Earth\on board the _Divine Journey_**

"Telek, you're insane!" said Tulsa 'Duroshee in protest.

"Don't go, Telek," Mitsu 'Kimamee said. "We need you here."

"I'll report this to Lord Hood, Telek," Cujo snapped. "You're struck with madness again."

"I'm always struck with madness, Cujo," Telek said in a sigh. "You know me better than anyone."

"I'll have you bound in chains this time, Telek!" Cujo cried. "I'll make sure you'll be placed in an asylum!"

"I'm your commanding officer…"

"Not when you loose your head," Cujo said.

"I agree," said Mitsu. "Think about this, Telek. Regret will send for reinforcements. High Charity will come along with every available ship in the Covenant Armada. Truth will have your head on a pike!"

"Miranda jumped on her own," he said. "Through Regret's wake. She's out there alone with the Covenant fleet right behind her—just like her father."

"Yeah, and we know what happened to him!" Tulsa said.

"I won't let it happen to her," Telek said. "Tekn, prepare to jump once we get beyond the range of the MAC-Guns. I don't want to damage them."

"And where do you think you're going, Rear Admiral?" came Lord Hood's voice. His image appeared beside Cujo's image.

"Already tattled on me didn't you, Cujo?" Telek said, sighing again.

"I'm trying to stop you, Telek," said Cujo.

"Sir, the Prophet made a jump to Halo," Telek said.

"Which one?" Hood asked.

"I don't know," Telek replied. "I won't know until I'm there. It doesn't matter, they all do the same thing—destroy sentient life capable of sustaining the Flood. We're all dead if Regret activates Halo. Miranda moved her ship into the rupture the enemy capital ship was going into. If she survived, she's there as well."

"You allowed that to happen?" Hood asked.

"Sir," Telek growled. "If Miranda didn't, the rupture that capital ship made would have completely destroyed her ship and killed her and her crew. She has a better chance of surviving making a blind jump than just sitting there waiting for the shockwave. But she needs help."

"She has some of your Elites on board, Telek," Hood said. "They can assist her when she needs them. And she has the Chief."

"It's not that," Telek protested. "I know more about what those Halos do—more than my Sangheili troops know. She'll need backup. I have to go. I'll leave the other ships here. I'm sure Admiral Harper will command them well."

"Telek," Hood sighed. "Fine. Against my better judgment, go. But you're going against protocol here. So, you better pull off something spectacular or your job with us will be on the line."

"Don't I always?" Telek grinned. "Thank you, sir."

Lord Hood's image faded from the screen.

"Telek," Cujo sighed.

"Duty calls, Cujo," Telek said.

"No, this isn't duty," Cujo sighed. "This is your way of trying to get to Truth—and not only that—but it's about Miranda. You have so much of a crush on her you can't even think as straight as you normally do."

"You and Johnson," Telek sighed. "I swear. Alright, so what…I'm in love with a Human, big deal."

"And now you're gonna play knight in shining armor and go rescue your princess," Cujo crossed his arms. "Just like those fairy tales Humans like to speak about. You're gonna rescue her, and she'll be more than grateful. A damsel in distress, waiting for her tall—handsome—Sangheili prince to save her from the wicked Covenant and their Prophets of Truth, Regret, and Mercy."

"Shut up!" Telek barked back. "I can handle it. Do what you can to protect Earth if the battle goes ill. Protect it. It's our home now."

"Very well, Excellency," Cujo bowed his head. "I will do as you command."

"Now, why don't you make yourself useful while I'm gone, Cujo," said Telek. "Go sneak around some area in the South Pole. I've been wondering about that area for some time. It's an unmarked base in Antarctica. I think it belongs to Kiryuu personally, but I'm not sure. Just snoop around there and have a look at it. I don't like how my 'boss' hides things."

"Is this something you want me to do to keep me busy while you're going after Miranda?" asked Cujo.

"That's the idea."

"Fine," said Cujo. "I'll do it."

Telek gave a wink to his second in command of his small battle group and with that, the assault carrier _Shade of Darkness _blinked out of sight, jumping through Slip-space. Cujo rumbled and clacked his mandibles in frustration.

"Mitsu," he began. "How's the battle."

"All enemies have been neutralized, Cujo," replied Mitsu. "The stragglers however have escaped."

"Lord Hood," began Cujo, bringing up his image. "My battle group reports no Covenant in the area. They've all fled."

"I suppose they went where Telek was going," said Hood.

"Yes, sir," said Cujo.

"Alright," said Hood. "Well, just continue monitoring the area just in case they return."

"No problem, sir," Cujo replied. "Mitsu, Tulsa, you heard him. Keep your scanners pealed. I'm going to the South Pole."

"What for?" asked Tulsa

"Well, to do what Telek wants me to do," replied Cujo. "Snoop around there."

With that, the _Divine Journey _cloaked itself into invisibility leaving the other two ships to help the UNSC cruisers to patrol the space around Earth. Cujo waved his gloved hand over the projector and the screens around him changed pulling up the image of Earth. The image flipped over, showing off the South Pole and then zoomed in closer to the continent of Antarctica. Pressing a button on the holopanel, the Shipmaster leaned in.

"Field Master Dovi 'Canthonee," he began. "Get your squad together and meet me in the gravity lift bay."

"Roger that," said Dovi. "Anything you have in mind, Shipmaster?"

"Telek's put us on assignment," said Cujo.

"I'll get the gear ready."


	2. Antarctic Twilight

**Antarctic Twilight**

The sun hung low in the sky, turning the clouds a brilliant gold and fiery orange. The icy wind blew the snow across the ice sheets. Shadows of purple cast themselves upon the white desert landscape, frozen completely in Antarctica's perpetual dawn of Spring. The building fire in the sky turned the snow a shade of vermillion and russet. Soon, the Spring Dawn will give way to Summer Day. In the sky, streaks of green, blue and yellow cut through the fire and sang softly to the waning night. The Pegasus Arm of the Milky Way sparkled like a diamond band above and the Megellonic Clouds looked like little glittery broaches dangling from the belt.

The Utah Foundation Antarctic base was a set of square, concrete and glass, unappealing buildings built up from the ice sheets. Outside it was cold, but inside it was comfortably warm. The buildings circled a pit cut into the ice where a row of bony, jagged spines covered in ice cycles stuck out from the glacier. Soldiers dressed in white fatigue walked around with assault rifles and battle rifles.

Inside the larger building, the commander of the base looked over the pit, which housed a monster that has been in slumber for 545 years. Kiryuu Knight placed this monster there and it was kept secret from the governments of Earth. Kiryuu wanted to make sure that this monster did not rise up and attack the cities. At the same time though he could have easily just killed this monster to prevent any further attacks, but he spared it. Why? To put it simply it was because Kiryuu believed that this monster was his son. This monster is Godzilla, the second one. Kiryuu was the first—or rather created from the first. The commander was not sure what to believe in whether or not Kiryuu was the first Godzilla reborn as a machine because of the bones that make up his skeletal frame. Many of the guards and workers did not believe this, many of them did. However, Kiryuu was the person who signed their paychecks and as long as he kept the money coming, the commander was all too happy to watch over his 'son' in this frozen wasteland. Kiryuu was a handsomely generous employer. He made sure that no one had any grievances for working in one of the coldest places on Earth.

"Commander Haddock," said a voice behind her.

Haddock turned around: "Yes, Quincy."

"The sensors are picking up some movements around Sector 2," Quincy replied.

"Tell the guards to inspect that area," she said.

"Yes, ma'am. All security personnel near Sector 2, there's some movement detected in that area. Check it out."

"Yes, ma'am!" said the voices over the COM channel.

Out on the ice, the soldiers moved into position where the sensors picked up the strange movements. Their huskies became restless, picking up a strange scent in the air. One of the guard dogs growled furiously, its lip trembled across its sharp teeth. It hunched its back and its bushy tail lowered.

"He's got the scent," whispered a guard.

"Set them loose," said the other guard. "Let their noses be their guide."

The dogs became unleashed and they rushed forward, barking as they followed the strange scent over the ice. Whatever it was that kept itself veiled in invisibility was not prepared to deal with guard dogs hot on its scent. Then, something fired at them. Blue-white bolts of energy sprayed upon the dogs and they scattered, yelping as the bolts singed their fur.

"There!" called one of the guards. "Fire over there!"

They braced themselves and fired toward where the blue white plasma spray was coming from. Their bullets pelted a surface and shadowy figures suddenly came into view. The bullets impacted the shielding which protected the offenders, causing them to fluctuate in blue.

"The Covenant is here!" one of the guards shouted.

The intruders' invisibility finally failed and their forms were revealed. These intruders were Elites, but they did not act like the Elites that the guards heard from the newsfeeds. There were two gold armor Elites among the others. One of the gold armor Elites barked to the other gold armored Elite and the lance retreated.

"After them!" a guard shouted.

The Elites leapt over the side of the cliff leading down to the pit, which housed the monster. They slid down the slippery slope of the ice. They swiftly ran up the back of the monster and weaved between the tall spines. One of the guards raised his gun and prepared to fire on the Elites. His commanding officer put his hand on the gun.

"No," he said. "No. I don't want to risk freeing the monster."

"Yes, sir," said the soldier.

"Commander Haddock," began the officer. "We're being attacked by a lance of Covenant Elites."

"Covenant?" asked Haddock. "Follow them. If you can capture them, demand about their purpose here."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

Their eyes followed where the Elites were heading. The officer noticed that the Elites were already starting to climb out of the pit.

"Sector 8, the Elites are heading your way," said the officer. "Cut them off."

"No problem," replied the leader of Sector 8.

0

"Dovi," said Shipmaster Cujo as they climbed up the ice. "Did you see what was in the ice?"

"Yeah," said Dovi. "I did. What was that creature? It looked as big as Kiryuu Knight."

"It has spines like Kiryuu Knight," said Cujo. "We climbed around them."

"What is it, Excellency?" asked one of Spec-Ops Officers behind Cujo.

"Looks like another Kiryuu," said Dovi.

"No, that's not another Kiryuu," said Cujo.

As they finally came to the top, Cujo reached out and pulled himself from the ice. He leaned down and helped Dovi up onto the ledge. One by one, the Sangheili warriors came up onto the edge of the icy pit. Cujo turned around and studied the creature buried in the pit. He pulled out a drone from a pouch in his armor and let it fly, taking pictures of the pit.

"If it isn't Kiryuu's clone, then what is it?" asked Dovi.

"Godzilla," said Cujo, his mind finally coming upon the answer. "The second one."

"Godzilla?" asked Dovi. "The creature that was mutated back in the late 20th Century?"

"The creature which gave the humans a reason to build Kiryuu," said Cujo. He turned to the confused expression of the Zealot Field Master. "Realizing that Kiryuu is a sentient construct, he was built for a reason. That was the reason."

"Didn't Telek say that Kiryuu destroyed the monster?" Dovi asked.

"Is it dead?" asked Cujo. "Isn't it dead? Why would Kiryuu go through all of this secrecy for a dead carcass?"

Cujo's HUD flashed with the movement of the guards coming near them. He raised his plasma rifle up. Dovi put away his rifle and ignited his plasma sword.

"Dovi," said Cujo. "We don't want to kill them."

"Slicing their arms off wouldn't be killing them," said Dovi.

The mix batch of regular and Spec-Ops Sangheili readied their weapons as the human guards approached them.

"Freeze!" said a voice as the guards rushed them. "Lower your weapons!"

Cujo barked and the Sangheili sprayed their plasma upon the guards. Dovi almost seemed to wink out of sight as he rushed the guards. With a swing and a blue flash, he sliced his way through them, their weapons pealing away and falling to the ground. He had cut the rifles in half. Cujo had to admit; Dovi was just as skilled with the sword as Telek—a true testament to the power of a Zealot. Dovi leapt unnaturally high into the air towards the remaining guards. The bullets did little damage to his nearly impervious shields. As he came down, he swung, slicing the barrels of their rifles. This was an unorthodox tactic for any Sangheili Zealot to disarm his opponent instead of killing them on sight. Though, Dovi made a promise to Telek that because the humans were now their allies, they could not kill them. Then, the Sangheili bolted off towards one of the warehouses near the pit.

"The things I do for Telek," said Cujo.

"Why are we heading over there?" Dovi asked.

"To get some interesting pictures," said Cujo. "I've already gotten some from the pit. Let's see what else our dear Mr. President is hiding."

As they came up to the door, Cujo tried to pull it open, only to find it locked.

"Wonderful," he said with a grunt.

One of the Spec-Ops Sanghieli glanced behind him: "We better do something. The guards are coming."

"I got it," said Dovi. He pressed a button on his sword emitter and the sword began to glow brighter than normal. He jabbed the blade into the steel door and pulled it around, cutting an opening through the metal. Then, he pulled away as the steel slab fell with a _clang _onto the floor of the warehouse.

"I wish I was allowed to carry a sword," said Cujo, regretting the fact that he was not born into the Sangheili Aristocracy like Telek and Dovi were. "Glad I brought you along, lock-picker."

Dovi grinned.

"Okay, inside," said Cujo. "Let's go, move it!"

He stepped aside as the other warriors ran into the hole in the door. Cujo followed and paused, hearing something scrape across the floor. He saw Dovi along with a few other warriors push a crate over the hole.

"That should stall them for the moment," said Dovi. "Long enough for us to do what we need to do and leave."

"The Phantom is on stand-by, sir," said a black-armored Spec Ops warrior.

"Okay," said Cujo as he let loose the drone. "Alright, my little shutter bug, do your thing."

The drone began to fly around, flashing a light as it took its pictures. Dovi walked around, looking around the warehouse. There, in the warehouse, amid the crates was a cryo-tube attached to the wall. It was operational.

"Cujo!" he said. "Come here! Look at this!"

Cujo trotted over and paused when he saw the tube. He slowly walked towards it and wiped the glass with a glove. The glass on the tube was frozen over. He could see the faint outlines of something inside the tube.

"One of their cryonic chambers," said Cujo. "Used to help the humans endure slip-space transit. Why the hell is one in Antarctica?"

"A frozen dead monster," said Dovi. "And now something else frozen. It's like Kiryuu's running a meat locker or something…"

"No kidding," said Cujo. He glanced over and found a control pad with numbers in red slowly counting down. That was when he realized that those numbers would reach zero in just a few seconds. He stepped back the moment they did and the top of the cryo-tube opened up. Mist heavily flowed out from the tube and blanketed the concrete floor. A naked form slowly rose up from the tube. Cujo and Dovi's eyes were wide when they saw whatever it was that came from the tube. Its body was shaped like a human, in a way, but at the same time, it was not human. There were gray, pebbly scales covering its body. Its hands tipped with sharp talons. Its face was a twisted mixture of reptile and human. It had shoulder length, straight, ashy brown hair.

"Oh, Telek's gonna love this…" Cujo said in hushed tones. "Kiryuu's a fucking mad scientist!"

The thing coughed for a moment, taking its first breath in a long time. Golden, cat-like eyes opened up and turned towards the Sangheili warriors. The creature's lips parted, revealing a set of sharp teeth inside. Its expression was that of shock.

"Do we shoot it?" one of the warriors whispered to Dovi.

Cujo glanced up at the drone and motioned it to fly over the strange creature. The moment it did, it started taking pictures, lighting its flash at each snapshot. The creature covered its eyes and grunted.

"Hey," it said in what sounded like a male British accent. "What the bloody hell?!"

"It knows English?" asked Dovi.

"Of course I know English," the creature said. "I'm British, you asshole! Now tell whatever the fuck that is to stop it!"

Cujo clapped his gloved hands and the drone ceased its photographing. As the creature rose up, Cujo could clearly tell it was indeed a male. He even had a long tail to go with those scales and clawed feet and hands. Cujo finally deduced that this—whatever it was—looked like a perverted cross between Kiryuu and a human or perhaps Godzilla and a human. As the creature stepped out of the tube, it shook slightly, coming to its feet for the first time in ages.

"Who the fuck are you?" the creature asked. "What the fuck are you? Some sort of new Mana mutation?"

"Mana mutation?" asked Dovi.

"Magic," said Cujo. "The strange energy that covers this planet seems to mutate some creatures." He directed his voice to the creature. "I was about to ask you the same thing. What are you?"

"An experiment gone wrong, split face," said a feminine voice from behind Cujo. He picked up the sounds of rifles loading up. Turning around, Cujo came face to face with a human female armed with an assault rifle and several other guards behind her, their weapons trained upon the Sangheili. Cujo curled his lips across his shark-like teeth.

"Don't even try it, Covenant bastard," she said. "And drop your weapons."

"We're not Covenant," said Cujo. "I am Shipmaster Cujo 'Mentatalee of the renegade _Reverence-_Class battle cruiser _Divine Journey_ second in command of Telek 'Herosee's fleet. You can call up Admiral Hood and ask him about us."

"We have no affiliation with the United Nations Space Command, Shipmaster," said the female. She turned to the creature. "Mr. Alan Tyler. Good to see you up and well. We should get you some clothes."

"Who the fuck are you and what the fuck is going on here?" the creature named Alan Tyler demanded.

"I am Rosa Haddock," she replied. "Commander Haddock of the Utah-Foundation Antarctic Base."

"Antarctic Base?" asked Alan. "Kiryuu's Antarctic Base? He moved me down here? I thought it felt a little cold."

"He wanted to make sure your recovery was—undisturbed," said Haddock.

"It was disturbed," said Alan. "By those creatures."

"Actually," said Haddock. "The timer just went off. You were supposed to wake up now. We were about to come down to greet you as you awoke but these squid heads deterred us." She turned to Cujo. "Alright, move it."

One of the guards got out a blanket and wrapped Alan up in it and led him along with Cujo and the other Sangheili outside and towards the command center. Cujo noticed that Alan glanced over at the pit seeing the still frozen form of Godzilla.

"I see this hasn't change much," he said. "Is he still asleep?"

"Very much so," said Haddock.

"You mean that thing is still alive?" asked Cujo in horror.

"Why would Kiryuu kill his own son?" asked Alan.

"Son?" asked Dovi.

"So, those rumors Telek heard about were true," said Cujo, whispering to Dovi. "Kiryuu was the first Godzilla, and that monster down in the pit is in fact his son."

"Where is Kiryuu?" asked Alan.

"On his way, actually," said Haddock.

"The President is coming here?" asked Cujo. "Oh, wonderful."

"President?" Alan asked. "You mean former-President."

"Former?" asked Cujo. "Uh, no, he's the President…current President."

"How the hell can that be?" asked Alan. "His term with the UCAS ended in 2064."

"2064?" asked Dovi.

"2064!" Cujo laughed. "That was 488 years ago."

"What did you say?" asked Alan.

"The year according to Earth calendars is November 3, 2552," said Cujo. "How long were you put in cold storage?"

"Since the late 21st Century," said Haddock.

"That's a long time to freeze," said Cujo. "Kiryuu Knight is the Commander in Chief of the United Nations Space Command and well…subsequently also at times termed as the President of Earth."

They came inside the command center and entered the control room. One of the guards got Alan a set of clothes, tearing the back end of the pants to fit his tail through. The guards kept their weapons trained on the captured Sangheili. Haddock turned to the huge window seeing a Longsword land on the landing pad near the pit.

"He's here," she said as she looked back at Cujo. "_You_ are in trouble."

"Who's here?" asked Dovi.

"Who do you think?" Haddock asked.

"Kiryuu is here?" asked Alan. "Already?"

No sooner than he said that, Kiryuu Knight came walking in followed by several Secret Service personnel. Kiryuu was dressed in a black commando sweater with a pair of urban camouflage military trousers. His feet were covered in large boots and his metallic claws were gloved in durable canvass and leather. The only parts that were exposed were his armored, long tail, the armor covered spines, which came through the specially tailored sweater and trousers. He had a black utility belt around his waist complete with ammo pouches and a pistol holstered at his side, another thing which confused Alan. Kiryuu never had to carry a weapon before because he was a weapon himself.

On his sweater was a patch of the insignia of the United Nations Space Command and the flag patch of the United Canadian-American States—the country in which he clamed his ethnic citizenship from. The flag still had 13 red and white stripes, which represented the 13 original colonies, but on the blue field were not white stars. Instead there were a mixture of white stars and white maple leaves. The maple leaves represented the Canadian provinces that unionized with the old United States to help strengthen the war-torn country and the white stars represented the States that stayed. There were also spots empty along the rows representing the messing States that defected over 400 years ago during the beginning of the Sixth World.

Alan noticed just how different Kiryuu looked. For the moment, he thought he was looking at a hologram. Though, he seemed to recall that as a hologram, Kiryuu did not cast a shadow. There was indeed a shadow being cast on the floor below Kiryuu. Kiryuu himself looked older, various worry wrinkles lined his face. Though, there was no doubt that despite his elder look, he was probably as youthfully powerful as he was during the early 21st Century. Still, Kiryuu's attire struck Alan oddly. He never recalled the biomecha ever wearing any sort of uniform when he held the Office of President during the 21st Century. This new style suggested that Kiryuu seemed more militaristic now than he ever was then. Kiryuu back then, distrusted the military for various…yet obvious reasons. Now, he seemed to be like them.

"What are you doing here?" Kiryuu demanded in a strong and gruff tone, looking over at Cujo. His brow came down and his golden eyes flashed with fury.

Cujo crossed his arms defiantly.

"Answer me, Shipmaster!" Kiryuu continued. "What are you doing here?"

"I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque," said Cujo.

"I'm not being funny. What is the meaning of this? Why are you here? Do you know what the penalty is for breaking into a top secret military base?"

"Apparently, this base isn't one of the UNSC," said Cujo. "It belongs to your company, Mr. Knight."

"Yes, it does," said Kiryuu. "And I should have Mr. Walker charge you for trespassing on Utah Foundation property!"

"But Mr. Walker didn't come here, you did," said Cujo. "Because I discovered your little secret. What would the UNSC say if they found out you didn't kill Godzilla? These guys don't seem to really answer to the Utah Foundation implicitly, they answer strictly to you. Wouldn't that be a problem if Lord Hood found out?"

"Cujo," began Kiryuu. "It is imperative that this base be kept a secret. I've managed to keep a satellite blackout on this whole area and anyone who reports this base existence is illuminated. Do you have any idea the damage you could have done if that monster were to be freed?"

_Monster?_ Thought Alan. _That doesn't sound like Kiryuu._

"Don't beat around the bush, Mechagodzilla," said Cujo. "I know that monster is your kid. That's why you're protecting this base."

"Those Marines up there fighting the Covenant aren't the only ones who are trying to protect their loved ones," said Kiryuu. "So am I. But I'm not just protecting him from the Covenant; I'm protecting him from the UNSC as well. You don't understand what Humans would do to him—what they've done to me."

"So, what are you going to do to me?" Cujo asked. "Have me killed? Do you really want that to happen? Telek would shoot you!"

"Why should I have your blood on my hands?" Kiryuu asked dismissively.

_That's the Kiryuu I know, _thought Alan. _The manipulative bastard…that's him._

_I'll deal with you in a moment, grandson, _Kiryuu projected into Alan's mind. Alan's lip curled in a sneer. He always hated it when Kiryuu referred to him as "grandson."

"Oh, don't give me that garbage!" Cujo said. "Do you really want to anger someone who's helped glass 76 of your worlds?"

"I suppose at this time you have diplomatic immunity," Kiryuu said. "Very well. But I do insist upon the upmost secrecy regarding this base. Not a word. Now, why are you here? Don't tell me. Did Telek put you up to this?"

"You know I can't hide that from you," said Cujo. "You're probably poking around in my head right now, finding the answers. So, why ask a question when you already are able to answer it?"

"Because I want to hear it from you," said Kiryuu. "Did Telek put you up to this intrusion?"

"Yes, he did," said the Shipmaster.

"Why?" Kiryuu asked. "Why betray my trust like this?"

"Because he doesn't trust you. He never did."

"I trusted him," Kiryuu said. "I gave him a high clearance in ONI, anything he needed."

"Out of necessity," said Cujo. "Because you needed him. The only thing is though…what would you do once Telek's worn out his usefulness? He is, after all, a war criminal to you."

"You…he thinks that I would turn on him?" Kiryuu asked. "By the time this war is finally over, I will have no power or say on what happens to Telek. My term is over in January. I'm through, finished. Once it's over, I have no control over High Command. So, your action to blackmail me in order to protect Telek's freedom was futile. If this war continues on beyond my term's end, it would be the decision of the next President that will seal Telek's—and your fate with the UNSC. You forget, you too are a war criminal as well among us. I'm offering you sanctuary to protect you from the Covenant who would execute you for treason. And at the same time, I get your services. So, it is both out of necessity for us to be working together."

Kiryuu turned away and looked out the window to the pit that housed his sleeping son.

"But I cannot allow this intrusion to go unpunished," he said. Kiryuu pushed a metallic green, fleshy lock from his face. "There is a story among Earth folk legends of Heracles being punished by Hera. His punishment was to travel around performing 12 tasks. Each one of those tasks was much harder and more life threatening than the last. His final task was to kill the Great Hydra. We now know that the Hydra of the old Greek legends was in fact King Ghidorah—_Harodihg_ to your people."

"The hell?" Cujo asked. "I'm not gonna go out and kill some three headed space monster that you already killed."

"King Ghidorah is not dead," said Kiryuu. "But enough of that. Don't worry, I won't let you go after King Ghidorah…well…not presumably."

"You are going to make me go after King Ghidorah," Cujo said. "Hell no!"

Kiryuu turned around and chuckled darkly: "There is a city located in the United Canadian-American States. This city is called Chicago, Illinois. My satellites have picked up a strange energy coming from that city. I believe it is a device that I had lost over 400 years ago. I want you to go in and get it for me."

"Okay, fine," said Cujo. "Sounds easy enough."

"No it isn't, mate," Alan laughed, realizing where Kiryuu was about to send Cujo. "Don't you know anything? Chicago is a containment zone, an abandoned city that's been filled with giant insects called the Invae."

"Giant bugs?" Cujo asked.

"Giant bugs," said Kiryuu. "The reason why it is a containment zone was because I and a few other Technomancers in 2055 sealed the city in a shield which keeps the city slightly out of phase with this dimension, thus protecting us from them. However, this plan was not foolproof. Sometimes, a few of the Invae will escape the shield around the city to infect other locations. We've had to bombard the area with nuclear explosions to keep the chances of anymore of the escaping slim."

"And you want me to go inside and get something that's trapped in there?" asked Cujo. "Why the fuck didn't you go get? Why wait until now?"

"Because it wasn't until a few days ago that the object had returned," said Kiryuu.

"What is this object?" asked Dovi.

"Something that disappeared in 2057," said Kiryuu. "It's blue and it's shaped like a heart. It's a crystal."

"And what does this crystal hold for you?" Cujo asked.

"Sentimental value," replied Kiryuu. "And that is all you need to know. Do this for me and I will forget this incident."

"Appears I have no choice," Cujo said in a sigh.

Kiryuu turned to Alan: "I see that the cryo-sleep did in fact work."

"Don't expect me to thank you for it," Alan said with a snort.

"Your mutation has changed you," he said. "But G-1 will not affect you anymore than giving you my kind's regenerative abilities. You shall feel at ease to know your mind will not become primitive, Alan, nor will you loose yourself to the demon inside of you."

"Good," said Alan. "Now what the hell is going on here? Who are these creatures? And why are you dressed like that?"

"You've been asleep since the late 21st Century, Alan," said Kiryuu. "Much has changed since then. In the 2100s, Earth began to expand to the stars. There were wars, some big, some small. But one war placed a ban on Technomancy and Magic. Only certain abilities can be used such as my _Mass Displacement._ Then, about 30 years ago, an alien ship attacked one of our cargo ships leaving the agricultural world known as Harvest. This ship belonged to the Covenant. Then, later on, we lost contact with Harvest. A battle group of ships was sent out to investigate why there was no longer any communications from the planet. They were destroyed by the Covenant. The Covenant left a message…"

"Your destruction is the will of the Gods and we are their instruments," said Cujo, interrupting Kiryuu's tale.

"Cujo and those with him are one of the species that make up the Covenant," said Kiryuu. "They are called Sangheili. There are other species, Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, Jiralhanae, San 'Shyuum…all who want the whole species of Humanity dead."

"Why?" Alan asked. He turned to Cujo. "Why?"

"I don't know," Cujo replied. "None of us do. Only the Prophets know."

"Harvest was devastated," said Kiryuu. "Glassed except for the polar regions. We began to realize that the Covenant happened upon Harvest by chance and apparently believed that the planet belonged to them because of the strange artifacts found there. Those artifacts mirrored the structures found on the ruined island of Atlantis."

"Atlantean structures on another world?" Alan asked. "Does Manda know about this?"

"This information is classified," said Kiryuu. "I only knew about it when I became President."

"You didn't hack and find out yourself?" Alan asked, completely taken back by the idea that Kiryuu for once did not sneak his way through the Matrix to figure it out himself.

"I was busy," said Kiryuu. "My company the Utah Foundation was hired by the UNSC to help in a project called the Spartan program. All biosyntech that I created was to be augmented into candidates for this program to create super soldiers. All of their muscle and nervous systems and some of their organs have been replaced with biosyntech. The war kept me to my work. I didn't have time to go feeding myself into military grids to find out what the hell was going on. When I heard that the Covenant wanted to do nothing more than to dig our graves, I kept my focus on what I could do to help the UNSC in protecting Earth and her colonies."

Alan sank back, sitting down. This was indeed a different Kiryuu than what he was used to. Though, there was still a little of that manipulative monstrosity that he knew and could care less about. But apparently, this war even straightened Kiryuu's kinks out. Alan could see a determined gleam in the biomecha's eyes when he told his story. That determination was not focused entirely upon him anymore, but upon everyone else.

"So, if these…Spaghetti…" said Alan.

"Sangheili," corrected Cujo. "Oh, hell, just call us Elites. All the other Humans do."

"If these Elites…" he said. "Are with these badassed aliens who want to blow us all to Kingdom Come, then why are they here?"

"We're defectors," said Cujo. "I'm with a group of Sangheili who do not agree with the Prophet's ruling about Humanity. So, we defected and decided to help the Humans get an edge up in the war by giving them ships and weapons of Covenant make and help them understand the technology that the Covenant use as well as battle tactics."

Kiryuu took a note that Cujo left out a part in that tale. Cujo did not mention Halo.

"Okay," said Cujo. "Now explain about him, Kiryuu! He looks like a human version of you."

"In the early 2000's," began Kiryuu. "Japan was trying to create…in a way a sort of super soldier of their own. These candidates were infused with cells from Godzilla and mutated. Many of them were failed projects and those that survived became insane later on. Alan was the only—successful test subject. However, the mutation would eventually over come him. And so, I stepped up and placed him into cryogenic sleep until the mutation settled in his system. I did not anticipate that it would take this long for the Regenerator G-1 to settle, however, I'm glad that it did so that there would be no side effects."

"Well, now that we've explained each other," began Alan. "If you don't mind, dear Grandfather…I'd like to pick up where I left off. So, just give me some supplies and I'll be on my way."

Kiryuu shook his head: "You can't expect me to just _give _you something without getting something in return. I'm not Santa Claus."

"Oh, fuck it…" Alan said. "Then I'll just go on my merry way without your help!"

As Alan stood to get up, Kiryuu gave a nod to his guards. They positioned themselves between Alan and the door.

"Trust me," said Alan. "I can rip through you lot like tissue paper. Now, out of my way before you regret it."

Kiryuu raised his gloved hand up and Alan slowly began to rise from the floor. Then, with a push of the mecha's hand, sending a ripple through the air, Alan was flung back against the wall. Blue energy wrapped itself around Alan, pinning him to the ground. Alan looked up and saw that the energy was coming from Kiryuu's feet.

"Since when did you become telekinetic, Kiryuu?" Alan asked, struggling against Kiryuu's mental bonds.

"I've had over 400 years to practice different arts," said Kiryuu. He waved his hand and Alan lifted up to the ceiling. Kiryuu effortlessly held him there. "488 years has gone by since I put you into that cryo-stasis tube, Alan. So, therefore, you owe me some back payment on the rent."

"Bugger off, gramps!" Alan shouted, continuing to struggle against Kiryuu's powers. "I owe you nothing!"

"If I didn't step in and help you, you would have been killed just like your partner Tetsuo," said Kiryuu. "So, I beg to differ on what is owed."

With that, Kiryuu released Alan from the ceiling. The mutant dropped to the floor face down. He groaned for a moment as he moved around on the floor, slowly rising, some of his brown locks falling into his eyes.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Go with Shipmaster Cujo 'Mentatalee," said Kiryuu. "Since you have seen what the Invae can do, you have more knowledge on them than he does."

"No," said Alan in defiance. "Absolutely not! I'm not going into Bug City with a bunch of big, ugly, Predator-headed aliens!"

"Predator?" Cujo asked. "This guy thinks we look like something Arnold Schwarzenegger would fight?"

Dovi shrugged.

"Alright, then provide me with 20.3 trillion dollars for keeping your stasis tube active and in working order," said Kiryuu. "Because that's how much the rent cost."

"Fuck you!" Alan shouted. "If I knew I had to owe you anything, Kiryuu, I would have said 'no' when you said you could help!"

Kiryuu waved his hand again and Alan once more flew up to the ceiling.

"Don't try my patience, boy," Kiryuu said, a growl rumbled through his lips. "I've got a war to fight and a planet to defend. I could just draft you into the UNSC instead and send you out to fight the Covenant."

"Alright!" Alan said. "Alright. I'll go with Cujo."

Kiryuu dropped him again: "Glad you see it my way." He paused for a moment, hearing a voice through the comlink from the Longsword. "Well, I must be off. Lord Hood has ordered that the Secretary-General and I be sent to Io for our safety. The Covenant may very well return soon. Cujo, go to the Quito Space Tether located in San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. There, you will meet someone who can supply you with a way to get inside the shield around the Chicago Containment Center as well as any specialized weapon that can be used against the Invae."

"Okay," said Cujo.

"Alan, of course accompany him," said Kiryuu.

"Yes…Grandfather…" Alan said in disgust.

Kiryuu turned on his heels and walked out, followed by the Secret Service guards around him. Cujo looked back at Alan and motioned him to follow him as he walked behind the guards. Dovi walked behind Alan along with his Sangheili warriors. As they reached outside, Cujo ordered his ship to de-cloak and lower its gravity lift down. Alan glanced up and just stared, impressed by the shear size of the ship as its shape filled the perpetual sunrise-colored sky. Kiryuu got into the back of the Longsword.

"I wish you good luck. And don't take too long, Cujo. I need you up there among the other ships keeping an eye out for possible Covenant war ships returning."

"I won't," said Cujo. "I just hope I live through this."

"You are Sangheili," said Kiryuu. "Your people are capable of remarkable things."

"Thanks," said Cujo.

Kiryuu dipped his head and the hatch closed. Soon, the starfighter took off, banking up and arching for the sky.

"Well," said Cujo. "Up to the ship."

"How do we get up there?" asked Alan. "Fly?"

"In a way," said Cujo as he stepped into the purple, shimmering curtain of the gravity lift. Then, he kicked off and shot straight up into the bowels of the ship. Dovi grabbed Alan by the arm and ushered him to the gravity lift. The Sangheili Zealot kicked up into the air and shot up into the ship, his warriors behind him. Then, the ship disengaged its gravity lift and slowly broke for the stars.


	3. Malcho's Gift

**Malcho's Gift**

Alan walked around the darkly lit ship. Though he could see perfectly fine in the dim light because of his mutation and the fact his eyes were like Kiryuu's eyes. The Elites stared at him because they never have seen anything like him. He heard a few Elites dressed in various hued armor, whisper in their alien language, pointing at him suspiciously. At the same time, he's never really seen anything like them. That snide side decided to speak out against any all judgment.

"What the fuck are you lot staring at?"

The aliens began to growl, turning face to him. Their mandibles spread slightly, showing off the rest of their sharp teeth. Alan could not help but to feel a bit disgusted when he saw their mandibles open to reveal a tongue-less mouth. Their mandibles trembled as the growled at him. They pulled their weapons from their sides, ready to dish out a proper lesson to the stranger for insulting them. A clash sounded and nearly out of nowhere, the familiar gold armored Elite who was with the Shipmaster named Cujo just faded from thin air. The speed in which this alien moved reminded Alan of how Kiryuu could move when he fought. The Elite held a twin-bladed, glowing sword made from energy and he yelled at his troops in their alien language. He remembered the Elite's name…Dovi. The Field Master turned around, his silver eyes narrowing as he looked at Alan accusingly.

"Watch what you say on Shipmaster Cujo's ship," he said. "And mind your manners if you have any to mind."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means if you wish to continue to breathe," said another voice from behind him. Alan turned around to find a silver and white-armored Elite walking up to him. "You will keep your spiteful attitude to yourself. This is my ship and you are a guest on my ship. You will follow my rules."

Alan became both annoyed, infuriated that this alien would dare try to boss him around, but also confused. He recalled that the Shipmaster he met wore gold armor.

"Cujo?" Dovi asked.

Cujo's armor color had changed. The style of the armor also changed. Before he wore mostly Combat harness like what Dovi wore. Now, he wore the silver colored assault harness, the thorax cage having two black brackets on each shoulder and wearing the block upper arm armor that the Special Operations Sangheili wore. The silver armor of a Special Operations Commander was more durable and tougher than the Zealot combat harness he wore as a Shipmaster. On his back was strapped a fuel rod cannon.

The Special Operations Commanders held a slightly higher level in rank than a Zealot unless that Zealot was a Fleet Master or Supreme Commander. Special Operations Commanders and their warriors did things that not even most Sangheili would do. It took a special warrior to go on the missions Spec Ops were willing to go. Which was why Cujo and Telek worked excellent together when they both shared the rank of Spec Ops Commander.

"Cujo?" Dovi asked again. "What are you doing in that armor?"

"I was a Spec Ops Commander once," said Cujo. "And this job requires a Spec Ops Commander, not a Shipmaster in order to get it done. I figure it is best that I become one again. Also, this armor has a longer cloak than the other one." He turned to Alan. "But the change in armor color does not mean change in rank, mutant. I am still the Shipmaster of this ship."

"Yeah, whatever," Alan said with a roll of his eyes.

Cujo growled, feeling his patience for this scaly human wearing thin. The 9-foot 4-inches Sangheili Shipmaster stomped angrily over to Alan and hoisted him up to his eye level by the Englander's shirt collar. Cujo slammed the mutant against the wall.

"Now, you listen to me, and you listen well," he began. "I don't care who's genes you've been spliced with, but I know for certain if I chuck you out that airlock while we're in the vacuum of space, your head will explode. So, unless you want that to happen, I would seriously start to think about what words should be said next."

With that, Cujo just simply let go, allowing Alan to drop to the hard floor below.

"Shipmaster," began a voice over the intercom. "Report to the bridge."

"Well, I believe we're about to arrive," said Cujo, picking Alan back up by the back of his shirt and lifting him effortlessly off the floor. "Let's go, Shorty."

"I'm not short," said Alan. "It's just you're a fucking dumb ogre."

"And that's strike two," said Cujo. "Care to go for strike three?"

"No," he said.

"That's what I thought," said Cujo. "You know, Dovi. I don't think the punishment is going into Chicago and killing a bunch of giant bugs, I think it's babysitting this jackass hoodlum."

"I'm a warrior, not a babysitter," said Dovi, following behind Cujo.

Cujo chuckled as the ascended the inclined corridor leading up to the bridge of the ship. Green lights lined the ceiling. Two black armored guards clicked their heels and stood at attention just as Cujo and Dovi passed through the automatic door. He dropped Alan to the glossy lavender floor and made his way up to the raised command platform at the center of the enormous, auditorium-like bridge. The mutant grumbled as he slowly picked himself up off the floor.

"Sensitive or what?" he asked.

"Nope," Cujo replied. "I just don't like smartasses."

Alan looked around, seeing other Sangheili walking around to their stations, all armed with various alien weapons. He attempted to ascend up to where Cujo and Dovi went but two large, red-armored Elites stood in his way. One of them barked at him.

"Hey, let me through!" Alan called.

"Be honored that you are even allowed on the bridge, human," said one of them.

Cujo turned around: "I don't want you touching anything you shouldn't touch. You can stay right there or walk around to the large screens. Try any—funny business and my bridge crew will teach you a lesson in proper respect."

"It's not like I want to be here," said Alan. "Kiryuu's making me."

"And it's not like I want you here either."

Alan sighed and walked around. He turned slightly, noticing that the two red-armored Elites still walked closely behind him. It was obvious, no one trusted him on this ship. Not like he cared whether or not they did, he just did not like the idea of being followed. However, recalling the previous threat of being thrown out the airlock by the Shipmaster, Alan decided it was best not to complain about it. He stopped right at the front of the raised platform looking up at two enormous holographic screens hanging at the forward end of the bridge. The screens showed one image of the blackness of space being filled by billions of stars, the other showing what position the ship was in…regards to Earth.

Alan stood with silent awe when he saw the stars for the first time outside the Earth's atmosphere. In the corner of the screen he could see a bit of the planet Earth lit up on the night side by thousands of streetlights from each of the cities.

"We are nearing the space tether, Shipmaster," informed a red-armored helmsman.

The space tether itself was a station on top of a ringed column, which continued down for miles upon miles back towards the surface of the Earth. An elevator shot down the shaft inside the rings towards the dock on the planet.

"_Divine Journey_ you may proceed to docking bay 2," said a voice through the screen.

"We will have to send a boarding pod over," informed Cujo. "Your dock will not fit our ship."

"We have the room," said the voice. "Proceed."

"Dovi," began Cujo. "You and I…and _him_…" he pointed at Alan. "Will go down to the station and meet this contact."

"Right," said Dovi.

"The rest of you keep at your stations until we return with our mission assignment," said Cujo.

"Yes, Shipmaster," chimed the bridge crew.

Alan followed behind Cujo with Dovi and the two guards following behind him. Dovi had his hand on the hilt of his sword emitter, keeping a close eye on their guest. Alan decided to question about Dovi's movements earlier.

"Say…you…uh Dovi," he said.

"Field Master, if you don't mind," Dovi said.

"Whatever…" Alan said. "How were you able to do that, move like that quick? The only other person I've seen move like that was Kiryuu."

"The swiftness I have comes from constant training in a special Sangheilian martial art style called _Para'rothu_," said Dovi. "Very few know how to perform this style because not many survive its—various tests. The only ones who know of this style are myself, Cujo, Telek, my big sister Shri, the Special Operations Commander of the Covenant and Councilor Rtas 'Vadumee, and the one who betrayed us—the Supreme Commander of the fleet Particular Justice."

"Fleet Master Telek Nar 'Herosee was his second in command before he defected," said Cujo. "The Supreme Commander taught it to Telek and he then taught it to us. It is a deadly style and even deadlier if the one who uses it is a part of the Sangheili Aristocracy. Mostly because of the sword that practitioner wields. The technique is taught to where the swordsman does not even appear to ignite his sword when making a slice. The last thing the opponent sees is a blue flash before their world goes black. The perfect form for a swordsman in the Spec Ops section of the Covenant, because the active cloaking camouflage does not cover the glow of the sword."

"I take it you are an Aristocrat, then?" Alan asked Dovi.

"Yes, I am," said Dovi, igniting his sword for a moment before putting it away again.

"I am not, however," said Cujo. "So, despite my rank, I am forbidden to wield a sword in battle."

"Though, that did not stop Telek from teaching you _Para'rothu _sword _katas_ as well as unarmed combat," said Dovi. "Cujo's probably the best swordsman on this ship besides myself. Of course no one can beat Telek. You get into a scuffle with him and you might be missing a kidney afterwards! You know, Cujo, I won't tell if I give you one of my swords to take with you when we go on this mission. Two swordsman is better than one."

"And go against traditions?" Cujo asked. "Not even Telek does that."

"Oh, you know how he is," said Dovi. "He did say that he was going to ask the Council to make you fully an Aristocrat."

"That was back when we belonged to the Covenant."

"Well, I don't think it matters now," he said. "Telek's our Councilor. He always said that rule seemed to be an idiot rule because of so many non-Aristocratic Sangheili are also talented with the sword."

"But only the Aristocrats get the training," said Cujo.

"Which is why Telek trained you in secret," said Dovi. "It's one of the reasons why you're one of the best fighters out there even without the sword."

"Right," said Cujo. "Oh, you forgot a few more on that list. The Imperial Admiral Sasha Jar 'Zabothee and of course Imperial Admiral Xytan Jar 'Wattinree. There are others too, but not many. Those are the names we know."

"Oh, yeah, those guys," said Dovi. "I think the one other person Telek could trust was Imperial Admiral Xytan. It was rumored that Xytan became so popular that he even outshined the Prophets and they had to exile him because they feared he would overthrow them and set himself up as ruler of the Covenant. And if he did, Xytan would make Telek his second in command. If Xytan was at that hearing when Telek was sentenced to death for his so-called heresy, it probably would have never happened. I have no doubt in my mind that Xytan believed in what Telek said."

"And the little mole hill Telek is building right now between the Sangheili and the Prophets would turn into a mountain if Xytan got involved," said Cujo. "I bet when Xytan heard that Telek escaped, he started hero-worshiping Telek."

"And perhaps we'll have an ally that is willing fight on our side," said Dovi. "Maybe on the human side as well."

A circular door opened up and the two Sangheili followed by the mutated human got into the boarding pod. One of the red-armored guards moved to the front and climbed into the pilot chair, switching on the holographic screens in front of him. Alan tucked his tail between his legs as he sat down looking at two big aliens as the door shut behind him. Dovi and Cujo held on as the pod lifted off, exiting the ship.

"I wish Kiryuu would tell us who this contact is," said Dovi.

"That sounds like Kiryuu," said Alan. "He never tells me anything. He's always hiding something."

"Well, maybe you can tell us about these Invae creatures," said Cujo.

"What's there to tell?" Alan asked. "They're giant bugs. Actually, they're spirits, so some 'experts' say. They came here riding on a huge Mana spike and started possessing people left and right. When they possess people, those people change and become insectoid creatures, becoming a part of the hive. They live to serve the hive. They were everywhere by the time 2055 rolled around. Kiryuu Knight and a few other Technomancers came to the aid of the UCAS—especially after the government exhausted everything in trying to get rid of them. They forced the Invae back and contained them inside Chicago, which was abandoned for this purpose. Not many can say what happened. Dunkelzahn was reported to have been on the scene, recording all of this for his TV show."

"Dunkelzahn?" Cujo asked. "I've heard that name. Wasn't he one of your Presidents?"

"Well, not a President that Kiryuu is now," said Alan. "But he was elected as President of the UCAS about 2 years after the Invae were confined into Chicago. He was assassinated on the night of inauguration. It was a tactical nuclear device hidden under the car and it exploded, killing Dunkelzahn."

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Dovi asked. "Using a nuclear weapon on one human?"

"Dunkelzahn was no human," said Alan. "He was a Great Western Dragon. They said nothing short of a nuke could kill a Dragon."

"Yikes," Cujo said with a chuckle. "This is a weird place. Okay, about the Invae…"

"Well, Dunkelzahn reported he saw Kiryuu in the middle of the city and then, Kiryuu detonated something in a blinding flash," said Alan. "He said the water around the city boiled and then turned foul. The Invae dissolved away into nothing. Then, Kiryuu and the other Technomancers erected two Technomantic Towers on the north and south side of the city. When these Towers rose to the sky, the city enveloped in a dome and vanished. Kiryuu later reported that he could not get rid of all of the Invae and that their queen was trying build up the hive again. He said that he and the other Technomancers shoved the entire city of Chicago into a pocket dimension where they would not escape and infect others. But as Kiryuu said, it was not a foolproof plan."

"And we're going in there to get something Kiryuu lost in the late 21st Century?" Dovi asked. "Cujo, why are we working for that big, mechanical reptile again?"

"Because Telek says we have to," said Cujo.

"Son of a bitch…" Dovi said in a frustrated growl.

"Alan, these Technomancers have the power to displace an entire city in another dimension?" Cujo asked.

"Yeah," said Alan.

"Dovi, just think," he said. "If Technomancy wasn't banned, what would the outcome of this war look like?"

"The Humans would be on a technological par with the Covenant," said Dovi. "Maybe even more advanced."

"Like…Forerunner advanced," said Cujo. "When Telek returns, I'm gonna have a book to give him on all of this."

"I'd say so," Dovi said with a nod of agreement. "Though, about the Invae and possessing people…changing them…creating hives, doesn't that sound familiar to you?"

"Sounds like the Parasite," said Cujo. "Sounds a bit too much like the Parasite."

"Parasite?" asked Alan.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," said Cujo. "It's just some—alien species the Covenant has run across a few times."

"Mih l'let ot tnaw ton od uoy?" Dovi asked Cujo, speaking in the Sangheili language.

Cujo shook his head, telling the Field Master 'no'. Alan's eyes passed between the silver-armored Elite and the gold-armored Elite in confusion.

"Rehtie mih dnuora Olah fo kaeps ton od ew tseb si ti," said Cujo.

"Sey," Dovi said in agreement.

The boarding pod docked to the airlock to the station. The back door opened up and Cujo and Dovi rose from their seats. The Shipmaster glanced down at Alan.

"Let's go," he said.

As they made their way outside, Alan looked around to find several men in uniform passing from one area of the station to the other. They rushed along to get to their next assignment. One man not dressed in uniform approached them. The man was tall and had mocha-colored skin. Hair blacker than slipspace fell like silk about his shoulders. He wore a neatly-shaven goatee. The man was dressed in a dark brown suit with a copper-colored, metallic tie and a pair of gold sunglasses. On his finger was a gold ring with an Aztec design on it.

"Bienvenidos, mi amigos," he said. The man held a distinct Mexican accent.

Alan slowly began to recognize who this man was.

"I am…" said the man.

"Malcho," said Alan.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"You're Malcho," said Alan.

"Who are you?" Malcho asked.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

Malcho walked over and peered down at Alan, studying him intently.

"Ah, now I remember you," he said. "Sí, I know who you are. El nieto."

"I don't like to be called that," said Alan, knowing the Spanish word for grandson.

"But you are what you are," Malcho shrugged. "Now, if you don't mind, don't interrupt me again." He turned back to Cujo and Dovi. "Sí, I am Malcho…Soñador Malcho, head of Omak Technologies and Magical Research."

"What is a corporate businessman doing on a military space station?" asked Dovi.

"I built the space station," Malcho replied. "Lofwyr, the owner of Saeder-Krupp built the one that was destroyed by the Covenant in New Mombasa. This is my station. The UNSC may have bought it to use it for their purposes, but this is my station."

"Now, here comes the second question," said Cujo. "How do you know Alan? He was sent to that tube during the 21st Century."

"He's a Dragon," said Alan.

Malcho rolled his eyes: "Let me explain it to them, puto!"

Alan shifted and crossed his arms.

"I am not human, muchacho," said Malcho. "As the idiota said, I am a Dragon…a Feathered Serpent to be exact. My species has a very lengthy lifespan. So, I've met Alan long ago, back in the early 21st Century." He could sense their confusion through their expression and lightly reading their thoughts. "This is not what I really look like. For your convenience and mine to be up here, I have shape-shifted into a human form."

"No to mention an ego factory on legs," Alan said.

"Gringo, don't make me drop kick you back to Earth."

"We've heard of Dragons," said Cujo. "We've just never met one of them."

"Then, feel yourself privilege," said Malcho, smiling slightly. "Now, come with me."

He led them down to the observation deck. Malcho paused for a moment, taking in the view of the rim of the Earth. He could see the swirling clouds moving around below over the country of Ecuador. A storm was building up near San Francisco de Quito. He could not only see Ecuador, but its bordering countries, or rather he knew where they were. From up here, there were now country boundaries.

"I always love coming up here and just seeing the view," he said. "No matter how many times I see it, it still sends chills down my spine. It's never the same, always different."

"Malcho finally did what he set out to do," said Alan, smirking. "You finally got yourself into outer space."

"I'm not in outer space," said Malcho. "This isn't outer space. But it is a good view."

"I'm just shocked you and Lofwyr are still around," said Alan. "I'm surprised one of you have yet to kill the other."

"We still hate each other," said Malcho. "But we are allies now. The war has changed both of us. Both of our companies in the recent past have provided the governments and the colonies with our goods. I provided the UNSC with weapons and Lofwyr provided the UNSC with ships." He pointed out to a UNSC destroyer lazily passing by the window. "That ship was manufactured by one of Saeder-Krupp's shipyards on Reach."

"By the way," said Cujo. "Reach was destroyed. You won't be seeing ships like that for a long time if it gets blown up in the fight."

"Lofwyr lost everything tied to that planet," said Malcho. "And the UNSC lost its main factory in producing ships. We're scrambling as we can to keep the ships we have—which aren't many. But thanks to the efforts of Cujo and Telek, we have new Covenant ships to replace the ones we lost."

And as if on cue, a purple-hued, bulbous ship with a crook at the front passed by. Alan thought that ship was even bigger than Cujo's cruiser.

"Ah," said Dovi. "There she is, Cujo. That's the _Mercy and Reconciliation_."

"That ship was the first one Telek gave to the UNSC as a peace offering when he defected," said Cujo.

"So, apparently, this war has brought everyone together?" Alan asked, looking back at Malcho. The Feathered Serpent nodded.

"Funny how that happens," said Malcho. "When the very future of your own species is on the line."

"Telek saw the destruction of Reach," said Cujo. "He and one o the few remaining Halcyon cruisers fled the burning planet barely by the skins of their teeth."

Malcho glanced out again at the starry space: "Believe it or not, Alan, when Lofwyr saw the images of the glowing planet of Reach after it had been glassed, the puto called me up that night with tears in his eyes. Though he had never set a single foot on that planet's surface, he took its destruction personally. Saeder-Krupp's largest shipyard destroyed in a matter of hours. It was his greatest achievement. The funding it'll take to rebuild…he know he can't do it. Once Reach was gone, that was it for Lofwyr. He's been telling me these funny stories on how he wished he was there to see it personally while the Covenant bombarded the planet's surface with plasma. He wanted to even be on the ground when it happened. The _chingado_ has gone loco! Now, I've been hearing rumors he plans on heading down to New Mombasa to see about the damage there too."

"He's not gonna get through," said Cujo. "Lord Hood won't allow anyone around that area especially with the suspicion that the Covenant might return."

"Then, Lofwyr has a death wish!" Malcho said. "I don't care what he lost, he's gonna get himself killed if he goes down there with the whole Covenant fleet around. I wouldn't do it."

The Feathered Serpent sat down on a chair and sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. His face became grimly dark and contorted with anguish.

"This whole war has worn all of us out," he said. "It even infuriates me that I can't even leave Earth to see what damages has been done to the planets which housed my factories. All I get are pictures. Now the UNSC is pressuring me even more to come up with a better weapon to use against the Covenant and this…new creature that was discovered by Admiral Telek 'Herosee and that captain of the _Pillar of Autumn._ What did they call it, the Flood?"

Cujo's brow rose up.

"With Telek's information coming in that there are other structures that house these monsters, the UNSC is putting my head in a vice," Malcho continued. "Which is why you have come to me. I need something tested! And what better to test a weapon then to put it into a combat situation."

"Uh, Malcho," began Cujo. "Alan doesn't have ONI clearance. You're not supposed to talk about the Flood or those…structures."

"The UNSC doesn't even know Alan exists. Kiryuu made sure of that."

Malcho turned slightly at the sound of a hand rapping on the bulkhead. He saw a very tall, young, beautiful Filipino-American woman step in wearing a lovely summer dress. She had short hair, though she wore very heavy bangs in front of her eyes. The back was spiked up a bit with gel. Alan turned and noted that the woman's height was rather abnormal. She was nearly 7 feet tall. Malcho's face brightened up and he rose up, spreading his arms wide to greet the woman. Alan wondered just why this particular woman was so important to Malcho.

"¡Mija!" he called. "¡Mija! Come here, let me look at you! You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Hola, Malcho," the woman said in a laugh and leaned down to embrace the shorter man.

Cujo's other eyebrow rose when he saw the woman walk in and hug Malcho.

"Turn around, mija," said Malcho. The woman turned, allowing the dress flare out. Malcho laughed. "¡Ay que bonita! Bonita, bonita. You look so lovely, my dear. Come on, I would like you to meet everyone. Eh…Shipmaster Cujo, Field Master Dovi, and…Señor Tyler, this is mija, I mean Chief Petty Officer Nicole-458."

"458?" asked Cujo, recognizing the style of naming for this NCO. "She's a Spartan?"

"Spartan II to be exact," said Nicole. She let loose a yelp when Malcho effortlessly picked her up by her waist and set her gently down on a table. "Malcho!"

Dovi and Cujo noted how easily Malcho could lift the Spartan. It was obvious to them that Malcho was no human.

"Aren't you out of uniform, Chief?" asked Cujo. "Or for that matter, out of—armor?"

"Malcho insisted that I wear the pretty dress he gave me before I came up," Nicole said.

"So that's what a Spartan looks like without the armor," whispered Dovi. "I think I could get to like this."

"Hey, I heard that," said Nicole. She pointed at her ears. "My muscles aren't the only one that have been augmented. Super hearing too."

"Well, you're a Supergirl, then," said Dovi.

"Don't you insult mija!" Malcho said, stepping in front of Nicole. "I'll kill you for that."

"Malcho, I can handle it," said Nicole, cracking her knuckles.

"Sorry, Chief," said Cujo. "Dovi!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, Chief," said Dovi.

"Ahora," Malcho said. "I have a present for mija!"

Nicole sighed and shook her head in dismay as she was about to lift off of the table.

"No, you stay there," said Malcho. He clapped his hands, calling attention to the six Marines who walked into the room. "¡Amigos! Bring me the box."

"Yes, sir!" they said in unison. A few moments later, the six Marines returned, each carrying in hand a handle of a very heavy, olive green box with UNSC marked in yellow stencil. There was a rather cheerful red bow on top of the box.

"Set it down, amigos," said Malcho. As they set the box down, Malcho opened it up for Chief Nicole. Inside was a large weapon that looked like it should be carried on the shoulder like a rocket launcher. But it was no rocket launcher. It had a long shaft and a laser site. Just like the box, the weapon was also olive green. "Well, what do you think, mija?"

Nicole leaned down and picked it up, setting it upon her lap. Without the extra augmentation of her Spartan armor, this weapon proved rather heavy even for her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'd call it a BFG," said Alan. Malcho just rolled his eyes.

"It's called the Spartan Laser," said Malcho. He picked it up from her lap and set it upon his shoulder, again with very little effort. To the Great Dragon, the laser was no heavier than a feather upon his shoulder. "It fires a powerful red beam of light that can be used as an anti-tank gun, much like the Rocket Launcher, but much more powerful. The UNSC commissioned me to create them for the Spartans because only they can lift this heavy thing. I've made several but have yet to pass them out to the UNSC because unfortunately, most of the Spartans have either died or gone missing. It's sad, I know, but there is one Spartan that I do have that can use it…and that's you Nicole! I'm so happy that I have you."

Nicole looked up at Alan and Cujo: "I'm his pet cyborg."

"No!" Malcho said. "Don't you ever say that." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You're mija. And I love mija."

"So, you two are…" Alan said, looking between the Spartan and Malcho.

"Oh, don't even think of it, gringo," said Malcho. "It's not like that. She's like a daughter to me. One of my cargo ships was escaping Draco III, being helped by mostly some of the Spartan IIs and one of those was mija. When I received word who saved the ship, I had to meet them, but of course the UNSC forbade me. But mija answered my call and I've secretly taken her under my wing since then. My cargo ship was the only one that survived the Covenant raid on Draco III." He lightly patted her shoulder. "Now! It's time to get down to business. Nicole, I've another present as well. I was sick and tired of you running around in that old MJOLNIR Mark V armor. So, since the new Mark VI came out from my warehouse, I sent one to one particular Spartan that I'm sure Cujo and Dovi know of…and saved one for you."

"You make the Spartan armor too?" Cujo asked.

"Well, it's a combined project between mine and two other companies," said Malcho. "One of which is of course the Utah Foundation. They have to make sure the armor can connect to the neural relays in the biosyntech. But my company actually puts the pieces together when all the manufacturing is done. But the Spartan Laser is all Malcho!"

"Then I wouldn't trust that weapon as far as I could throw it, Chief," said Alan. "Especially if it's made by the feather duster."

Malcho's mouth opened in shock. Then, with a flick of his hand, he cast a spell and Alan transformed into a little white rat. Cujo and Dovi's mandibles dropped in astonishment.

"Gringo!" he said. "You should stay like that for the entire mission! Get yourself eaten by the Invae."

"Malcho, change him back," said Nicole.

"Ay caramba," Malcho said, snapping his fingers. Alan returned to his normal—well somewhat normal self.

"Fucking feather headed asshole!" Alan called.

"Watch what you say, idiota," said Malcho. "Lest I turn you into something worse."

"He just…how did you…you turned him into a rat?" Cujo asked.

"Magic, amigo," said Malcho. "It can do almost anything. You're lucky mija pleaded for your sake, puto. I listen to her."

Alan crossed his arms and sat down, curling his tail around his legs and crossed his arms. Nicole looked back at Malcho and then to the Spartan Laser.

"So, I'm going to be testing that thing out on the Invae?" she asked. "You didn't say anything about that."

"Don't worry," said Malcho. "I will send some of the ODSTs with and Cujo and Dovi, and the puto are going with you too. I wouldn't send you somewhere alone like that. Besides, this isn't my idea. This is Kiryuu's. He wants the Spartan Laser tested like this."

"The President wants me to go into Chicago?" Nicole asked. "No problem."

"Is there something wrong, Chief?" asked Cujo.

"I don't have many memories of my childhood, but the ones I have…mostly are about the Invae," she replied. "But I'll take on anything that needs to be taken on, no questions asked. It's—what I was 'built' to do."

"They're just giant bugs," said Cujo.

"No, amigo," said Malcho. "They are much more than that…much, much more. They are King Ghidorah's spawn."

Cujo shook his head: "So that's what Kiryuu meant. Just wonderful."

"And they are perfect to test out the Spartan Laser," said Malcho. He walked over and picked up a rather heavy power pack and set the laser up against the wall. "Here, this is what charges the Spartan Laser. It's a bit too heavy to lug around so, you'll have to keep it on your ship or transport in. Be very stingy on how you use it. It only has so many shots."

"Okay," said Nicole.

"Now, for mija's armor," he said as he looked back at panel on the wall. Malcho nodded and the panel opened upon his mental command. Set inside a glass case that rolled out from the wall was the MJOLNIR armor. He walked over and opened the case and took hold of the armor and helmet. The armor was incredibly heavy for any one human to lift, and it usually took 3 or 4 Marines to even carry it. But Malcho could just lift it as easily as he was lifting a suit and tie off of a hanger. He walked over and set it carefully down on the table. "There you go, mija. It's as bonita as you are." Malcho cocked his head to the side. "Except for the color. I always hated that baby-puke green color the UNSC made you wear."

"It's regulations, Malcho," said Nicole.

"It's baby-puke green!" he shouted. "You're wearing baby-puke green! It's ugly! Don't they know you're a winter? You should be wearing blue."

"Can I put my armor on?" she asked.

"Sí," Malcho said. "You can."

He picked it up off the table and ushered the Spartan off to a private room. Then, Malcho re-emerged from the room and closed it, allowing Nicole to dress on her own.

"I'll have to make some adjustments once you are dressed, mija," he said.

"Okay."

"Sweet, we get a Spartan," Cujo grinned. "Telek's got the Master Chief with him. I never got a chance to work with a Spartan."

"You get one now," said Malcho.

"But she seems a little frightened by the Invae," said Alan. "Not that I blame her."

"She shouldn't," said Dovi. "Spartans aren't supposed to show fear."

"Well, Nicole…" began Malcho. "I'm not really supposed to go into her past, but when—she was 'invited' to be a part of the Spartan program, and I say that very lightly, the town she was from was attacked by an outbreak of Invae. Nicole barely escaped; her parents were killed in the attack. She was 'rescued' by those who would take her to the Spartan program."

"No doubt with that attack," began Cujo. "It made it easier for the government to cover up Nicole's induction. They could just easily write her off as killed in the attack along with her parents and there would be no questions asked."

"They tried to weed those fears out of her mind," said Malcho. "And it was successful, but sometimes, some memories will surface. She's not really afraid, she just remembered her parents being killed and that's what disturbs her. I think once she's there, she will be motivated more in doing her job knowing that some retribution would be in order."

"I see," said Cujo. "Glad to have her on board. We're all about taking revenge."

Dovi shook his head, feeling rather unsure about this particular Spartan. Malcho knocked on the door.

"Need some help, mija?" he asked.

"No, I'm almost done," said Nicole.

"Okay. Don't put on the helmet just yet, mija."

"I won't."

"Is our Spartan almost ready?" asked a voice. Malcho turned around and found a Marine walking in. This Marine was dressed in armor that…at least to Alan…look similar to Nicole's armor, but not as sophisticated. Cujo and Dovi both knew that this Marine was an ODST or Helljumper.

"Oh, Major Evans," he said. "You're here."

"Yes, I'm here," Major Evans said.

"Don't mock me, puto."

"Oh, Malcho, don't get your feathers in a ruffle."

"My feathers are not in a ruffle!" Malcho shouted.

Evans turned to Cujo and Dovi: "Shipmaster Cujo 'Mentatalee, I'm Major Roy Evans. HICOM has ordered that I and my ODST should accompany you."

"By HICOM you mean President Knight," said Cujo.

"That's right," he nodded.

"Seems fitting," said Cujo. "Both of us are Special Operations."

"And it'll take Spec Ops to handle a job like this," said Evans. "No other soldier can do it."

Cujo tilted his head just when Nicole came out, fully armored with her helmet tucked under her arm. Because of the boots she wore, her height was extended to over 7 feet. Still she was not as tall as him. Cujo was like Telek in the fact that his size was not considered the standard or normal size that most Sangheili were. Cujo and Telek were much taller and much more broad shouldered than their Sangheili brethren.

Malcho walked behind Nicole and began to inspect the back of the armor, checking the fitting.

"How's the link?" he asked.

"It's a little tight against the relay," said Nicole. "I feel a bit uncomfortable."

"Un momento," said Malcho as he walked away for a moment. He returned with a device and opened up a panel at the back. He slid out a card from the armor and used what looked to be a pair of tweezers to re-adjust a circuit. Then, he slid it back into the armor and replaced the panel. "Better?"

"Much better," said Nicole.

"Been busy tinkering all this time, Malcho?" asked Alan. "I don't seem to remember you knowing things about electronics to actually work on them."

"It's because you never see me work, puto," said Malcho. He looked up at Nicole. "The suit works like Spartain-117's. Both suits were put together at the same time. The only differences between his and yours is of course yours has a bit more room in the upper body. But on the outside, both armored suits are aesthetically the same. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable completely in the suit that it would not rub you in the wrong places." He moved her over to another area of the room where there was a platform surrounded by two arms on a gyroscope. "It's time to charge up your shields. Put your helmet on, mija."

Nicole placed the helmet on her head and sealed it up around her neck. She stepped onto the pedestal and Malcho with Evans walked behind a computer station. Malcho struck a few keys on the keyboard and the two prongs began to spin around Nicole. They lit up, wrapping her in gold light like a plastic wrap machine wrapping boxes. Cujo heard that familiar charge sound as the shields came on line.

"So, that's how they put the shields on for the Spartan armor," he said. "I always wanted to know how they did it."

"I'll test their recharge," said Malcho. He struck another button and the prongs flashed, shutting the shields down. Just a second later, the shields recharged again. The machine slowed and stopped. "Alright, mija. You're all set."

Alan just sat and watched, shaking his head. This seemed like a different Malcho to him as well. But then, he and to inquire about something.

"So, do we all get these body shields?"

Malcho, Nicole, Evans, and the two Elites looked at each other and then just laughed. Alan stared in confusion.

"Listen to him…" Dovi laughed.

"Only certain people get the shields," said Malcho. "Those who can take the armor—which are the Spartans, and of course mi alien amigos here. And you already know about Kiryuu's shields. Mija's shields are retrofitted from the Jackal shield gauntlet."

"Why did you need to do that?' asked Alan. "You were the one who created Kiryuu's shields."

Then, everyone gasped. It was not a shocked gasp like as in a revelation, but rather a gasp because Alan had spoke of something that was taboo to speak about.

"Amigo," said Malcho. "That technology has been banned. It was never developed on, and anyone who remembered how to use the technology is forbidden to teach it. With no one to continue teaching it, Earth lost Technomancy for perhaps the third time. And the only Technomancers that a registered as being the last—well, you're looking at one of them. The other two are Kiryuu and Manda. The only things I can do is just keep repairing Kiryuu's shields and upgrade them ever so now and then." He looked back at Evans. "I have heard rumors that there are unregistered Technomancers who are in complete violation of the law."

"It's a first for you want to follow the rules, Malcho," said Alan.

"Only because I've seen that perhaps we're not quite ready for Technomancy just yet," he said. Malcho looked away. "But, we needed Technomancy now more than ever. Because we don't have it, we are fighting a war that could mean our end."

"It doesn't mater now what we need or don't," said Evans. "Well, the President has set us on a mission. Let's get to it."

"What is this…crystal he talked about?" Cujo asked.

"Crystal?" asked Malcho. "Eh, I don't know."

"You hiding something, feather duster," Alan asked.

"Watch it, pendejo," Malcho said in a growling tone, pointing his finger at the mutant. Nicole grabbed Malcho's hand.

"Ease up, will you?" she asked. "Mr. Tyler, Malcho doesn't know anything about a crystal."

"Sí," Malcho nodded. "I don't know what it is. But Kiryuu says he lost it."

"In Chicago?" Alan asked.

"If that's what Kiryuu says, that's what Kiryuu says," Malcho said in a shrug.

"I don't like this," Alan said.

_Me neither, _Cujo thought. Malcho turned to him, picking up his thoughts.

"Come on," said Evans. "Marines, get the gear loaded up to the boarding pod. We are going to Chicago."

"Sir!"

"We'll have to use a couple of Spirits for this mission," said Dovi.

"Well, the only thing I can do is wish all of you good luck," said Malcho. "And, mija, watch out for these guys."

"Do I look like a babysitter?" Nicole asked.

Malcho laughed and gave her a slight push towards the two Sangheili.

"Buena suerte, mi amigos," Malcho waved just as the Spartan, a team of ODST, Alan, and the two Elites walked back towards the boarding pod.


End file.
